


A Good Night's Hunt

by KatiraPathara



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Corvo Bianco (The Witcher), Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Random & Short, Reunions, Toussaint (The Witcher), monster hunt, water hag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 14:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18640093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatiraPathara/pseuds/KatiraPathara
Summary: Geralt invites Ciri to enjoy an evening of family, friends, and wonderful food at Corvo Bianco, but when Eskel lets slip that he's got a contract waiting, all their plans change.





	A Good Night's Hunt

Laughter and good food filled the main hall of Corvo Bianco to the brim. Geralt snatched up another slice of roast pheasant before Eskel nudged his hand out of the way. Across the table, Lambert lifted his shirt to show Ciri a new scar crossing his ribs. Ciri smirked and pulled aside her collar showing one of hers.

Geralt warned Marlene well in advance that even though he had told her only three would be joining him that evening, she’d better prepare enough for ten. Watching Eskel wipe up the gravy from his plate with a piece of crusty bread and then proceed to load up his plate once more, Geralt wondered if he should have told her to cook enough for twelve.

It was the right decision to invite them to come. The way Lambert dug into the plates of roast pheasant and potatoes like only hungry Witchers could, reminded him of how hard the Path could be. Ciri’s eagerness to pepper both her Witcher brothers with questions about their latest adventures showed how much she missed their company. In the flickering candlelight, her eyes sparkled with a joy Geralt hadn’t seen in a long time.

Ciri caught Geralt staring at her and raised her glass. “To our generous host! May there be many nights like this going forward.”

“Hear, hear!” both Lambert and Eskel cheered.

She waved her glass toward him. “Come Geralt, tell us of this so called retired life. Is it everything you ever dreamed of?”

Geralt shook his head with a smile. “I’m not sure ‘retired’ is the right word for what I’m doing now. Managing a vineyard is still plenty of work.” He stretched his back where it had grown stiff from a hard day’s work dunging the south fields. 

Eskel smirked and slapped his back. “Not to mention he’s still taking contracts from time to time.”

The smile dropped off of Ciri’s face and was replaced with disgust as if she’d eaten a bad plum. “But you said…”

Geralt shot Eskel a look that said in no uncertain terms they would be talking later. “I know what I said. I’m regretting it now.”

A week ago, when Ciri visited at Corvo Bianco for a few hours to watch the sunrise away from her duties in Vizima, she asked him if he still walked the path. He told her he put that part of his life behind him. He lied.

Eskel, not one to be subtle about anything, especially when he’d enjoyed a little too much wine, raised his glass. “He’s got one right now. Saw it on the mantle when I got here before he could hide it away.”

“Shut up, Eskel.” Geralt hissed the words out from behind clenched teeth. “You’re not helping in the least.”

The smile Geralt feared he might have lost forever returned to Ciri’s face. “Really? For what?” That hopeful gleam in her eye could only mean one thing.

As much as he wanted to see her happy, he wanted her safety more. “Not discussing it. You’re not coming.”

A chorus of boos sprung up from both Lambert and Eskel at Geralt’s statement. Clearly they held a far different opinion about the wisdom in taking the Empress of Nilfgaard out on a hunt and gave zero thought to all the repercussions should anything happen. Typical. The saying about not needing enemies when he had friends like these bounced through Geralt’s head. He had to force himself to not roll his eyes.

Ciri held up a hand to quiet the boys. “Looks like it’s three against one. The least you can do is tell me about it. Maybe I won’t be interested.”

“Unlikely.” Geralt huffed. “Don’t forget, I know you better than perhaps anyone alive.” The only thing worse than having to say ‘no’ to a headstrong child was having to justify the reasons why in front of your colleagues.. 

“Come now, Geralt. She’s a grown woman.” Eskel goaded. Damn him, he was enjoying this.

There was no use in fighting fate. Once any of the three of them latched onto an idea, they tended to not let go. While that tenacity served them well on the path when hunting elusive prey, it made them insufferable to be around. Lambert leaned forward, about to add in his two cents. Geralt cut him off.

“You three are impossible, you know that?” Geralt set down his mug and folded his hands over his stomach. No use in trying to fight it. “I guess a whole crop of water hags have turned up at the edge of the Sansretour river where it gets marshy by Chestnut shore. The local vineyard owner isn’t pleased, lost some good men.”

Geralt couldn’t avoid seeing the eager gleam in Ciri’s eye as she took in every word about his contract. She sat on the edge of her seat, plate of food forgotten in the excitement of the moment.

“Sounds urgent. Why haven’t you dealt with it yet?” It wasn’t an accusation, Ciri was fishing for information.

Geralt recognized that tone. She always grew attentive and detail oriented when there was a problem to be solved. “Easy there. I only picked up the contract this afternoon. I’m going at first light.”

Her gaze flicked to the door and where her swords hung from a peg in the wall. “Why wait? Why not go now?”

Geralt didn’t get the chance to answer.

Eskel’s eyes brightened and he stood from the table. His grin spread from ear to ear. “There’s no reason not to. Water hags don’t gain any strength or special skills at night. We all can see fine in the dark, except perhaps you, Ciri. But the moon is full enough it shouldn’t be a problem.” He slapped Geralt’s shoulder. “Enough with being a good host. Admit it, you want to go. Might as well go together.”

Geralt rubbed at the tension that crept across his forehead. Knowing Eskel, he’d go out regardless of Geralt’s wishes and he’d take Ciri with him. The only way to stay in control of the situation was to give in.

“Fine.” Geralt said with an exasperated sigh. “Be ready in ten minutes.”

 

#

 

Torch light spilled across the dock near Chestnut shore and over the four riders. Geralt glanced over the group. Eskel leaned towards from the back of his grey mare toward Ciri to adjust the swords on her back. Lambert scratched at his black stallion’s neck with one hand while biting into an apple he’d snatched from their now abandoned dinner table.

“Leave the horses here, we’ll go on foot.” Geralt instructed. This was his contract, by Melitele’s grace, they’d do it his way. “We work in pairs. Ciri and I will work the left side of the shoreline, you two take the right.” He dismounted and tossed the reins over the pommel. The others did the same. “Watch for mudballs, the hags will try to blind you.”

“Yes, Vesemir. We get it.” Lambert shot Geralt a look and drew his silver sword. “Come on Eskel. You heard the man. Time to work.”

Eskel rested the blade of his silver sword against his armored shoulder. “Hey Ciri, I bet you a barrel of wine Lambert and I take out more hags than you and Geralt.”

Ciri stretched her neck and loosened her shoulders. “Haven’t you learned you shouldn’t make bets you can’t afford.” She drew her own midnight black blade. “Besides -”

A mudball struck Eskel right in the eyes. Lambert jumped in front of him forming Quen to shield them both. Geralt spotted the water hag crouching in the shallows with another mudball ready. Several shadows shifted in the water.

“Stay on dry ground, they’re devilishly fast in that mud.” Geralt sheathed his silver sword and grabbed his crossbow. He needed the fight to move onto dry ground. With the crossbow leveled, he fired, striking the first hag in the eye. It fell into the water screaming and clutching its face.

The water boiled and shapes shifted in the dark sticky mud. Geralt counted seven, including the one he’d shot. Knowing his luck, it would still have some fight in it even with a bolt lodged in its brain.

“Well that’s a right hornet’s nest, isn’t it?” Ciri remarked far too casually for someone about to engage in a melee fight.

Three hags charged at once, one splitting off toward Eskel, the other two straight for Ciri. If they thought she was the weak link, they’d be very disappointed. Ciri spun in a tight pirouette, cleanly lopping the head off the hag on her left before it could land a strike. She rebounded, fast as the wind, kicking the headless corpse to the ground and delivering a three-strike sequence to the one following.

Geralt caught himself grinning. Ciri fought beautifully, each perfectly timed strike balanced against another, her feet flowing from one position to the next. It made him proud.

A mudball spun out of the darkness straight for Geralt’s face. He dodged out of the way and fired his crossbow at the shifting shadow, earning a hissing scream. The hag shot out of the mud straight for him, bolt protruding from the center of its chest.

He caught the hag’s chin on his upstroke, whipping its head backward and exposing the throat for his rebounding slanted downstroke.

Then all was silent.

Ciri poked Eskel in the chest with a smile. “You owe me a barrel. Bring it to Vizima, I want to see the look on Emyhr’s face when it arrives.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Wow. No whump, no angsty bits, just a nice bit of a Witcher family reunion. I'm getting soft...


End file.
